Last week, we hosted two back-to-back (virtual) reunion celebration events, bringing together graduates from our foundational online training course, Scientific Community Engagement Fundamentals (CEF). It’s two years since we launched the pilot of the course, and since then almost 200 learners have participated. So, we wanted to mark the occasion with a celebration!!
With the rollout of several new courses in CSCCE’s training catalog comes a new credential to recognize our learners’ professional development: digital badges! These badges, which are only awarded to learners who complete all course requirements, can be displayed on personal websites, social media profiles, or as part of a digital CV or resume.
In this post, we share a bit about what it means to receive a digital badge from CSCCE, and how you can earn these badges along a path to certification as a Scientific Community Manager.
Continue reading “Announcing digital badges for CSCCE’s multi-week trainings”In the second of our Summer 2022 community tools trials, CSCCE staff members Adrienne and Katie and several members of our community of practice met to “Escape the Island” in Gather. We actually ended up trying to escape a dungeon labyrinth (read on to find out why!) and explored how best to use these tools at virtual networking events.
Continue reading “CSCCE Community Tools Trial Recap: Virtual escape rooms in Gather”Today we’re announcing a new professional development opportunity for STEM community managers: the CSCCE Community Manager Certification Program. The program is intended to support graduates of our Scientific Community Engagement Fundamentals (CEF) course further hone their community management skills, produce immediately applicable outputs for their current role, and continue to benefit from cohort-based learning with their peers, one of the hallmarks of CSCCE trainings.
With today’s announcement, we’re seeking your feedback on how best to finalize our plans. We strive to provide programming and resources that meet the needs of our learners and community members, so before we put the finishing touches on the certification program, we’re asking for your feedback. We’ve made a very brief survey that will ask you about your preferences when it comes to learning options (following a certification path or taking standalone courses), scheduling, and any barriers that might prevent you from participating.
Continue reading “Announcing the CSCCE Community Manager Certification Program”CSCCE tools trials resumed for a short run of three sessions on Wednesday, 13 July 2022. A combination of CSCCE staff and community of practice members spent 60 minutes trying out the facilitation platform Butter, and in this blog post we share some of the features we tried and what we thought.
Continue reading “CSCCE Community Tools Trial Recap: A “Butter” way to Zoom?”At the end of April 2022, CSCCE’s Director Lou Woodley co-developed a session on sustainability in community projects for the National Organization of Research Development Professionals conference with Melissa Vaught (University of Washington), Jennifer Glass (Eastern Michigan University), Connie Johnson (Umass Chan Medical School), and Jessica Moon (Stanford Aging and Ethnogeriatrics Transdisciplinary Collaborative Research Center).
In this guest blog post, Melissa, who is also a member of CSCCE’s community of practice for STEM community managers, recaps the goals and outcomes of the session.
Continue reading “The long haul: Understanding STEM community sustainability as a systems challenge”Ever wanted to test out a new platform or app but needed some more users to make it worthwhile? That’s what CSCCE tools trials are for!
And this summer we’ll be hosting a short series of three tools trials to try out Butter (a tool for administering breakout rooms), Gather (specifically their new escape room), and a third tool of your choosing (let us know what you’d like to trial here).
Read on for more information, including calendar invites and what to expect!
Continue reading “Tools trials are back this summer!”Two years after the pandemic pushed the majority of events online, we invited community members to discuss when virtual and hybrid formats work well, when they work poorly, and the tools that lead to success.
We also hosted a co-working session, during which we worked on a virtual events glossary and an updated version of our guidebook of curated virtual events resources – two items we’ll release soon. In this blog post, we offer some of the key takeaways from this month’s community call, in the hopes that it helps you plan engaging and inclusive events.
Continue reading “May’s community call recap: Creating virtual events that meet people where they are”Join us on 18 May at 3pm UTC / 11am EDT for a conversation about virtual events: what we’ve learned after two years of online gatherings. We’ll make space for discussion, considering what the future of hybrid events look like, and host writing sprints to co-create new resources.
You can join the call on Zoom, and add it to your calendar: iCal | Google
CSCCE is the leading training organization for community managers in STEM and this year we’re looking to build upon our successful existing courses by adding some new options – and new technology – to the mix. Plus, we’ll be experimenting with an Accessibility Fund to support broader participation. Read on for the details!
Continue reading “What’s coming up in Q1+ for CSCCE’s professional development courses?”